


I'd Walk A Thousand Miles (But Next Time Let's Take a Plane)

by bmcbapej



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe (kinda), Beca and Aubrey are just the softest, Caught By The Bellas, F/F, Mitchsen Week, Post-Pitch Perfect 3, Secret Relationship, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-01 11:44:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18799690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bmcbapej/pseuds/bmcbapej
Summary: In which Aubrey and Beca realise they might have neglected to mention a tiny detail about their relationship status. Instead of being reasonable adults and fessing up, they decide to just continue the omission because reasons.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain this morning: "I see you've got a few WIPs and three times as many half-written fanfic drafts."  
> Me: "I guess I should actually get around to finishing something."  
> "Or you could start a 7-part Mitchsen Week fic"  
> "What?"  
> "..."  
> "How would that solve my problem???"  
> "..."  
> "Goddamnit."

A squeal of excitement drew Beca’s attention away from the pancakes on the stove.

“What happened?” she asked, tilting her head sideways at her girlfriend who had just returned from a morning run.

“Chloe and Chicago are getting married!” Aubrey waved the two floral wedding invitations in amongst the stack of mail in her hands, presumably addressed to the both of them.

“Oh wow, that was quick.” In retrospect it made sense, Chloe was always the all-in sort of person who fell hard and fast. Love came easily to their redheaded mutual friend.

“Not everyone needs 7 years of foreplay to start dating.” Laughed Aubrey as she stuck their latest utility bill onto the fridge with a magnet.

“Hey! It takes two to tango, Posen.” Beca playfully whipped the blonde with the kitchen tea towel, “Besides, I don’t think 2012 me and you would have worked as smoothly together.”

And that was the truth. With the help of all the other Bellas, Beca had slowly learned to open up over the years. Aubrey had also mellowed out considerably once she had escaped the rigid expectations she placed on herself during her college days. A heart-to-heart with her dad near the end of the USO tour had also helped mend the distance between father and daughter. Both girls still argued, it was to be expected given their passionate and stubborn natures, but it was much more playful than their disagreements of old.

“Sorry for being such an asshole freshman.” Beca still felt bad about being unnecessarily antagonistic when she was younger.

“Well, I might not have exactly been a walk in the park to deal with either.” Aubrey placed a few soft kisses along Beca’s neck as she wrapped the younger girl up in a back-hug. “Let’s focus on the present. Such as who’s going to be who’s plus one.”

Beca tensed right after she flipped the last pancake over, “Umm, ‘Bree?”

“Mmm?” Came the half-hearted response. The blonde was a tad distracted as the trail of kisses travelled lower.

“Did we ever tell the Bellas about our relationship?” That caught Aubrey’s full attention.

“Didn’t we tell them during Amy’s- wait no… I’m sure it came up when we went to St- wait. Huh. I guess it never came up?”

They looked at each other for a moment before coming to the same conclusion, “Well we can’t tell them now, it’s Chloe’s big day.”

* * *

Beca comes home to find her girlfriend Skype-calling Chloe in the living room. Aubrey’s eyes flick towards the door and she has to stop herself from giving Beca her usual welcome-home kiss. The brunette may or may not have pouted a little out of view of the camera.

“Is that Beca?” came a cheerful voice from the laptop.

Aubrey shifted over to make space for Beca on the couch. “Hey Chloe, congrats on the wedding, dude.”

“Isn’t it great! Aubrey just agreed to be my maid-of-honor! And you, you’re going to be a bridesmaid! Right?”

“Sure.” Beca doesn’t really know what being a bridesmaid entailed but the puppy-dog eyes being directed at her really gave her no option.

As Chloe dove into the story of how Chicago had proposed, Beca couldn’t help wondering how a proposal between Aubrey and herself would go. Marriage wasn’t something that had been on either of their minds, but it was only natural for her to wonder a little given the situation. She’s distracted from this train of thought when Chloe ends with the innocent question of, “So are either of you bringing any guests?”

Aubrey had a perfect poker-face as she gave the technically true statement that neither of them was bringing anyone extra. Beca just ungracefully chokes on her own saliva when the question finishes registering in her mind. It’s a reaction she is only able to play off because it had coincided with a shirtless Chicago walking into the frame behind Chloe. Chloe gets up to give him a quick peck before kicking him out of the room, “We’re talking about super-secret wedding things here!”

Aubrey laughs as she offers Beca a glass of water. Secrets weren’t her strong point, okay?

* * *

So apparently being a maid-of-honor required a lot of planning and coordinating. Who knew? Their apartment was full of magazines, pictures and sketches. There was a colour palette on the dining room table with various shades of white that Beca couldn’t begin to tell the difference between. Chloe was in town to discuss details with Aubrey and as much as Beca loved their friend, she was a little bit grumpy about the whole thing – Beca had been relegated back to the spare room of their apartment in order to keep up the platonic friends charade they had accidentally fallen into. Sure, it made sense that she would be the one to move there since her mixing equipment was in that room, but the bed just felt too damn big for her.

She’s only there briefly for a quick change of clothes before meeting a new artist the studio was hoping to sign, but she makes sure to duck into their bedroom and wave hello to Chloe and Aubrey. She gets a face-full of red hair as Chloe greets her with a welcoming hug and out of the corner of her eye she can see Aubrey on the phone mouth “Love you” to her.

* * *

“So that’s hopefully the flowers sorted, and the cake samples should be arriving for you to try sometime tomorrow afternoon.” Aubrey was pleased with the progress they had made so far but she would be lying if she said she had complete faith in the florist to make good on his promise. Still, they were the exact flowers her best friend wanted and by God she was going to get them. Placing the phone down, she turned to see Chloe looking fondly at her. “Is there something on my face?”

“You look really happy.”

“Chloe, you just watched me argue with the florist for 10 minutes straight.”

“Well okay, not during that phone call, but I meant in general. I saw it a little in all our video calls but it’s really obvious being here that you seem more relaxed and happier than ever.” Aubrey’s lips twitched a little as she thought about the reasons her friend was seeing this supposed shift in her demeanour. One came to the forefront of her mind. Chloe’s eyes flicked downward a little as she gently asked, “You mentioned that performing stressed you out when we were finishing up the USO tour. Was it really that bad being a Bella?”

“Oh God no! The Bellas were the best thing to ever happen to me! Performing was stressful, yes, but I think it was more the expectations I felt I had to meet. I like where I am right now, and I think it’s because I don’t feel like I’m always having to chase something? My relationship-” Aubrey caught herself immediately before she could give herself away and cleared her throat, hoping Chloe wouldn’t notice, “My relationship with my dad is better than ever, I’m working at an aca-awesome job I love, my best friend is getting married, and I’m going to see all my other closest friends at said best friend’s wedding. What else could I ask for?”

Chloe broke out the biggest grin she could before wrapping Aubrey into a huge hug. “Aww, who knows, maybe after my wedding’s over you’ll find a guy I can start helping you plan a wedding with!” Aubrey feels a little guilty at the well-meaning hypothetical. An omission isn’t technically a lie but keeping secrets still made her feel bad.

* * *

“Do you think we’re bad at being girlfriends?” was a nonchalantly toned question that Aubrey most definitely was not expecting to hear right after finishing her shower. Beca was lounging on their couch in sweatpants, flicking through one of the bridal magazines Chloe had left in their apartment.

“Is there anything in particular that’s prompted that question or…?”

“It’s just,” Beca blew a stray hair out of her face in thought as she placed the magazine down on the table beside her, “I know we haven’t actually _told_ the Bellas about us but, like, don’t you think they’d notice something was different between us?”

Her earlier conversation with Chloe plays in Aubrey’s mind. “Well, we’ve only seen them a handful of times since we got together. I mean, I might be a _little_ offended if we saw them daily and they didn’t notice but given how infrequently we see them these days I’m sure they could have chalked up any changes to a number of things?”

“I guess...” Beca didn’t sound completely convinced. Aubrey came closer and leaned across the couch patiently. She knew that when it came to feelings, sometimes Beca would need a moment to try and sort out the right words. The other girl was a lot more open than she had been during her younger years but that still didn’t mean that emotions came easily. Part of Aubrey was still always amazed that Beca trusted her enough to not break her. “I know you love me, and I sure hope you know I love you,”

“Definitely.”

“But, I don’t know,” Aubrey would have described the way Beca rubbed the back of her neck as adorable if she didn’t look so vulnerable, “I’m not good at this whole relationship thing and… you’d tell me if I wasn’t doing something right, right?”

She thinks that the brunette is better at this than she gives herself credit for. Honestly Aubrey could just kiss her right now. So she does.

Beca moans a little before gasping out, “Kissing, good. Unanswered question, bad.”

Aubrey pulls back before looking her girlfriend in the eye, “Beca am I the type of person to sit by idly and do nothing if I’m not happy?”

“Well, no.”

“Don’t _ever_ feel like you’re not enough. I don’t know what you think you should be doing that you’re not, but I think you’re perfect just the way you are.”

The tentative smile she got in return was the most precious thing she’d seen all week. “Of course, you’d quote Bruno Mars right now.” That honestly hadn’t been her intention, but she playfully tapped Beca on the shoulder nonetheless. “And perfect? What happened to there always being room for improvement.”

Aubrey grinned devilishly as she tugged on Beca’s shirt, “Well, we could improve this situation by getting you out of these-”

_BZZT_

Beca had never hated the sound of their doorbell more in her life. “If this keeps happening Chicago’s going to funeral instead of a wedding.”

“Hey! That’s my best friend out there.”

“I know, I know.” Aubrey swiftly rolled off the couch and straightened her hair and clothes. Before she could go to answer the door, Beca tugged the corner of her shirt and murmured, “Hey ‘Bree?”

“Hmmm?”

“I think you’re perfect too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak peek of tomorrow's chapter:  
> "Beca, what are you doing?"  
> "I don't care if I fall off, we're sharing this damn bed or I'll die trying!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2: Bedsharing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bellas for life guys, Bellas for life.

“Hey there, sleepyhead.” Was the greeting Beca received when she blurrily opened her eyes and found Aubrey in her arms. Blinking a few times in confusion, she’s _sure_ she’s awake but in the same way she’s _sure_ she went to bed by herself the night before. “I dropped Chloe off at the airport a few hours ago.”

That explanation probably would have made sense if Beca’s sleep-addled brain was in a functioning state. She’s not sure what time it is, but it _definitely_ had to be too early. Deciding that thinking was for losers, she pulled her girlfriend in closer, mumbling into her neck, “Missed you.” Drifting back to sleep, it’s anyone’s guess if the soft laughter she hears is dream or reality.

* * *

The sound of an electric guitar that is muted almost as suddenly as it had begun jolts Beca out of her reverie. She pauses her writing for a moment, wondering if she had imagined it, before the light sound of footsteps draws closer.

“Do you like a challenge?” asks Aubrey from the doorway to their home office.

Beca spins her chair around, sensing a backstory to the question. “Well, hello to you too.” She raised an eyebrow, prompting Aubrey to continue.

“Chloe wants the Bellas to sing with her at her wedding.” That wasn’t a surprise. “We both know what sort of music she likes,” anyone with ears in the Bellas house knew what songs Chloe liked, “but I had to ask her what Chicago listens to and...” Aubrey handed Beca her phone, the screen open to a Spotify playlist.

“Dude, Chicago listens to pirate metal? I thought he was in the army, not the navy.”

“You _know_ this genre?” Aubrey stared at her incredulously

“ _Technically_ , it’s a subgenre.” The distinction does little to impress.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, how able are you to make an acapella arrangement with these song choices.”

“I work with music for a living, but I can’t create miracles.”

* * *

She tries, she really does, but thankfully a miracle does come - in the form of Chloe sending another playlist with songs that are easier to work with. Each Bella somehow manages to fit self-scheduled rehearsals in amongst their own busy lives. Her personal email inbox has never been so full of audio and video clips. Between work, helping with the arrangement, learning the choreography, and trying to work out what the hell she was going to get Aubrey for her birthday, Beca is exhausted.

Still, when the stars align and everyone has the same weekend vacant in their schedules, an inevitable Bellas reunion meetup is planned. Despite having lived with most of these girls for 3 years of college, Beca is always overwhelmed by just how _loud_ they all are. Granted it’s the first time they’ve all been together in one place since the USO tour. She’s seen everyone individually and in subgroups in the meantime, but there was usually at least one Bella who couldn’t make it to a meetup for one reason or another. Aubrey gives her arm an encouraging squeeze before Stacie pulls her in one direction and Emily pulls Beca in another.

“I can’t believe Chloe’s getting married! I love weddings so much. This is my first time being a bridesmaid! I’ve only ever been a flower-girl, but I was five and don’t remember any of it so I’m not sure if that counts.” The taller girl pauses thoughtfully at that last sentence before continuing, “Anyway, how have _you_ been? What’s working with DJ Khaled like?”

They talk about Beca’s new job and Emily’s post-graduate degree. A lot of the more technical psychology terms fly over her head but she can clearly see that Legacy was passionate about her studies. Perhaps Legacy wasn’t the appropriate term anymore for the other girl. Emily had become a Bella in her own right and exuded a much stronger confidence than she had in her freshman year. It particularly shone through when she had helped Aubrey, Beca and Chloe with their most recent arrangement on an equal footing. Jessica called it three generations of Bella captains coming together (Beca had wrinkled her nose at the implication that Aubrey would be her acapella parent or something, incest was a big no-no thank you very much).

Drifting towards the periphery of the gathering, Beca looked fondly on at all the other girls, the realisation of just how much all of them had grown over the years sinking in. It seemed like just yesterday that she and CR were helping Stacie construct a spaghettiO igloo as a physics experiment. Yikes this nostalgia was making her feel old.

“Taking a breather?” Flo offered a drink which she gratefully accepted.

“Yeah, it was getting a bit much.”

The Guatemalan girl hummed in understanding. Beca always appreciated that about her. Despite being an extrovert herself, Flo understood that she had introverted needs. The Bellas had been able to recruit a few new girls during her sophomore and junior years, but Flo was the only one who had actually clicked enough to stick around passed the first few months. Prior to Emily joining and carrying on the mantle, Beca had secretly been worried the group would have faded into non-existence when they all graduated.

“What do you think Amy has in store for us this weekend? I was too afraid to ask but I have a feeling I might regret that.”

“It can’t be worse than a hostage crisis or that time my brother let a bull loose in the town square.”

* * *

They’ve only just checked into the hotel and Beca’s already lost her key card. She hadn’t even set foot inside her room yet, but the card she swears she had just put in her jacket pocket is missing. She stares dumbly at sign reading 407, wondering how much of an idiot the receptionist was going to think she was. A tap on her right shoulder draws her attention to Lilly, who was holding a card out for her with both hands.

“Dude, thanks, you’re a lifesaver! I didn’t know I’d dropped that until just now.” Lilly simply nodded knowingly before continuing to her own room. Beca narrowed her eyes suspiciously, unsure if Lilly was just being her normal self or if she was plotting something. Probably both.

Turning around she swiped the key card on the door only to be met with an angry denial beep. She tried another two times before taking a good look at the card in her hands. 507. Had she just remembered the wrong floor? Wait how did Lilly know where to even find her? Noticing the untrusting look the bellboy on the floor was giving her, Beca readjusted her duffle bag strap and headed to the elevator.

The key card grants her entry to room 507 as expected. What she doesn’t expect is to see another set of baggage already sitting inside the room. She would recognise that familiar blue carry-on bag anywhere. Her guess is confirmed when a face-mask wearing Aubrey exits the bathroom in her favourite pair of puppy-print pyjamas. An instinctual scream erupts from the surprised blonde when she catches sight of Beca.

“Sweet Jesus, Beca, you scared me. What are you doing here? How did you even get inside?”

“Sorry! I didn’t there was anyone in this room.” she apologized, showing the number on her key card.

“Did they give us the same room key by accident? Amy said she booked all of us our own rooms.”

A knock at the door interrupts their conversation, “Aubrey, are you okay in there?”

“I’m fine, Ashley.”

There was a pause before the muffled voice on the other side continued, “Are you sure? I heard a scream.”

“It’s nothing, I thought I saw something and it startled me.”

“Alright then, let me know if you need anything.”

They both waited until they were completely sure Ashley had returned to her room before continuing their earlier discussion. “We _could_ complain about being double-booked. Or…” Beca gestured to the king single bed in the middle of the room, “We’ve shared smaller beds and I _wouldn’t want to bother_ the staff at this time of night.”

Aubrey supposes that Beca has a point.

* * *

The first time they had shared a bed it’s purely a platonic affair. Beca comes home after a particularly late night work-function beyond exhausted and flops down on the bed in the wrong room. Aubrey, who had still been awake, leaning against the headboard and engrossed in a good book, is too bewildered to say anything before the brunette had fallen fast asleep. She doesn’t have the heart to wake Beca when the light snoring and nonsensical mumbling begins.

Aubrey isn’t about to be kicked out of her own room, and she was already used to how clingy Chloe had been back when they shared a dorm, so she puts up with the extra guest in her bed that night. Beca apologises profusely the next day.

The second time they had shared a bed, it’s not a completely platonic affair.

Neither of them talks about it the next day.

The third time they had shared a bed it’s because the heating in their apartment stops working. There’s a “storm-of-the-century” happening outside and every repairman they contact refuses to come service their unit that night. Beca has a small portable heater in her room and they decide to make do with that.

“What are you doing?” asks Beca when Aubrey starts getting into the guest futon on the floor.

“Getting ready for bed?” Aubrey was confused, they had both agreed that in the interests of not waking up to a frozen dead body in the apartment, Beca was sharing her room for the night.

“Dude, I’m not gonna make you sleep on the floor.”

One look at the only other option, an ordinary single bed (Beca was a no-frills sort of girl after all), has Aubrey ready to fight. “I’m not kicking you out of your own bed!” They’re both taking familiar combative stances reminiscent of their Barden days. “So unless you can think of a compromise, I’m sleeping on this futon.”

Continuing her usual trend of saying things before having completely thought them through, Beca blurts out, “Let’s just share the bed.” Both girls freeze, clearly aware of, but not wanting to mention,  what had happened the last time they had done just that. As much as future-Beca would sometimes hate past-Beca’s potentially bad ideas, she was someone who was almost always willing to double-down on those same decisions. “So unless _you’re_ okay with that, _I’m_ sleeping on that futon.”

They both stare at each other, neither willing to back down.

“Fine, let’s do that.”

“Uh huh.”

“It’s settled.”

“Yup. I’m just gonna go turn off the light now.”

“Mhmm, you do that.”

“Good.”

The process that follows is painfully awkward and any of the other Bellas would have paid good money to witness it. Each girl tries to give the other as much space as possible, which amounts to barely anything given the lack of room to begin with. Aubrey decides to simply wait until Beca falls asleep first before secretly sneaking onto the futon, but before she can enact that plan, the smaller girl inches a bit too far off-centre and rolls completely off her side of the bed.

“Beca! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!”

“No you’re not, you just fell off your own bed. I’m sleeping on the futon, this isn’t going to work.” Before she can make good on that statement, Beca scrambles back onto the bed as fast as she can.

"Beca, what are you doing?" Aubrey is pinned to the bed and can feel heavy breathing on her neck.

"I don't care if I fall off, we're sharing this damn bed or I'll die trying!" It comes off a lot more aggressive than she intends but the declaration still stands.

“Fine.”

It doesn’t occur to either girl until days later that the whole situation could have been avoided if they had simply moved the portable heater into Aubrey’s room and used her bed instead. Perhaps it was for the best though, since that night starts a chain of events that neither of them regrets – but that’s a story for another time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back at it again with the non-sequential scenes and (sort of?) cliffhangers lmao. Don't worry I should be circling back to that story in a later chapter.
> 
> Tomorrows sneak peek:  
> Aubrey can't believe that even though, with the exception of Emily, they were all in their late 20's and still playing a childish game such as Truth or Dare. When the empty wine bottle lands in her direction, she regrets saying "Truth" the moment she sees the predatory look in Stacie's eyes.  
> "When was the last time you had sex?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 3: Getting Caught By The Bellas

Aubrey should have known that Amy’s plans would have involved day drinking. And afternoon drinking. And night drinking. She’s mildly concerned that more than one of the girls is going to end the trip with a damaged liver - if not alcohol poisoning.

“Heyyyyy, girlll.” Slurs Beca as she makes her way over, waving a bottle in Aubrey’s direction “Want some?” She wrinkles her nose, she’s not overly picky with her drinks but she drew the line at tequila. That stuff was nasty. Before Aubrey could open her mouth, Beca raised a finger to her lips and whispered loudly, “Shhh, don’t tell anyone but it’s waterrrr.” The shorter girl furrowed her brows at the sound of that last word. “Wader. Woah-ter.”

“I think you should have the rest, Beca.”

“But I hate tequila.”

* * *

They sober up somewhat after dinner but judging by the sounds Jessica had been making earlier in the bathroom, they were going to have to tip the maids extra.

“This is nice.” Announces Chloe as she makes a carpet-angel on the floor. “We should do this more often.”

“Girl, I love you but after tonight I ain’t drinking for the rest of this year.” Was Cynthia-Rose’s response.

“We don’t have to drink. I just wanna see you all more often. I wanna know what’s been going on with you guys as it’s happening!” The redhead turned to her side and looked squarely at Stacie, “I didn’t even know you were dating anyone until you posted that Insta-photo. I had to find out through Instagram!”

A casual shrug followed the reply of, “Eh, that’s not a thing anymore.”

“See! I’m so behind on the news I might as well move to the mountains and you all can homing pigeon me your life updates.” The pouting would have been cute if it didn’t look like it was going to be followed by tears.

“Alright pitches, time for some good ol’ Truth, Dare or Crocodile Fight then!”

“No fighting!” is Aubrey’s reflexive response. Amy looks as if she’s about to argue but the glare she gets from her former captain is enough to close her mouth.

“Aye, aye, cap’n, we’ll just play the boring Truth or Dare then.”

The only person to vocally protest the idea is Beca (“I already know more than I’d like about you nerds and I refuse to eat any of that gross shit you guys make.”) but she’s quickly outvoted by the other Bellas.

Aubrey can't believe that even though, with the exception of Emily, they were all in their late 20's and still playing a childish game such as Truth or Dare. When the empty wine bottle lands in her direction, she regrets saying "Truth" the moment she sees the predatory look in Stacie's eyes.

"When was the last time you had sex?"

All the Bellas “oooooh” with the exception of Beca, “Really guys, why would you-, why would we want to know that.”

“Shhh, Shawshank, the adults are talking.”

“Excuse me, I’m older th-”

“Yesterday.” Silence descends on the room as she leaned forward to spin the bottle. She said what she said, and nobody could call Aubrey Posen a liar. “Lilly, truth or dare?”

“Are we just going to ig-“

“One question per truth, those are the rules. Truth or dare?”

She’s clever enough to pick dare every single time the bottle comes back around.

* * *

The sound of the sliding door opening and closing behind her alerts Beca to Stacie’s presence, “How are you holding up?”

“I’m gonna have a heck of a hangover tomorrow but I don’t feel like puking anymore.” She admits, twisting the cup of water in her hands.

“That’s not what I meant.” The taller girl tilted her head knowingly. Knowing what, though, Beca has no idea.

“Huh?”

“That question I asked Aubrey earlier.”

“What about it?” The high-pitched question that left her lips totally sounded unsuspicious. Not.

“Puh-lease, you’ve always had the _biggest_ toner for her.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Maybe you should lie down. Here, have some water.” Stacie bats away the plastic cup and they both watch it fall off the balcony. “Littering is not cool, dude, think of the whales.”

“The whales will live, unless they’re swimming through De Nile river like you are right now. At first I thought you just had a thing for tall blondes, what with that chick from DSM and all. But watching the way you followed Aubrey around like a puppy all night, it clearly wasn’t just a phase for you. I mean, maybe I was a bit out of line asking her that question but I don’t want you getting hurt, Becs.”

She’s not sure if this is worse or not. On one hand she doesn’t want to blindside Aubrey and tell other people about their relationship without letting her know, but on the other, she didn’t want their friends thinking her girlfriend was leading her on. “Stace, it’s not like that, honest.”

Stacie makes a sceptical face but they’re interrupted by the very girl they’d been talking about, “So this is where you two ended up.”

“Hey Aubrey.” “Hi ‘Bree.”

“The other girls have gone back to their rooms and Amy’s somehow convinced the room service guy to ‘service her bedroom’. We should probably head off before we’re too traumatised to sleep.”

“That might not help, the walls are _pretty thin_ between these rooms.” Realisation dawns on both Aubrey and Beca. Next to Amy’s room is Stacie’s, and on the other side of Stacie’s room is Aubrey’s – or more accurately the room Aubrey and Beca was sharing. A red blush creeps up Beca’s neck and she’s suddenly very, _very_ interested in the stars. Was that Orion’s belt in the sky? Constellations were utterly _fascinating_.

The way Aubrey tried to subtly turn away from Beca’s direction seemed unnatural enough to peak Stacie’s interest. Swinging her head back and forth between the two, she gasps. “You _sly_ bitches. How long has this been going on?”

There’s no denying it at this stage so Beca makes no attempt to try and weasel their way out of the question. “It _might_ have been about a week after we were celebrating CR passing her flight school exam.”

“That was almost half a _year_ ago!”

“It never came up!”

Stacie stared disbelievingly at her two former captains, “You know Chloe is going to kill you for keeping this from her, right?”

That’s a statement they can all agree on.

* * *

Aubrey bats away the hand wandering up her shirt, “Beca! Stacie just told us how thin these walls are. I don’t want her hearing us!”

“Well, technically she only heard you.”

“Aca-scuse me?” Come on Mitchell, use your head a bit more before you talk.

“Uhh….”

Aubrey is mortified when Beca recants the talk she had had earlier with Stacie before focusing on the other half of the conversation, “What’s this about you always having a toner for me?”

“Can we stop calling it a toner, it’s weird.”

“You literally told me you had a dick in your freshman year, Beca.”

“Words… Words just come out of my mouth, okay?”

“That’s generally where words come from, yes.”

“You know what I mean!” Thinking back on what Stacie had said, she thinks she might see where that statement had come from. “I think, deep down, I might have always admired you? Well, at first I thought you were a raging bitch but freshman me was a blind idiot-”

“Watch it! That’s my girlfriend you’re talking about.”

“ _Was_ a blind idiot, Aubrey, past tense. Anyway, I think I was honestly a little jealous.”

“Jealous? Of what?” Aubrey sits up a little, this was news to her.

“I mean, outdated setlist aside, you were really into the Bellas and you obviously cared a lot about it and I, I’d never really been passionate about anything back then. I had my music and stuff, but… Did I ever tell you about that guy from my first internship? The one that told me my music had ‘nothing to say’? It was like that, if that makes sense. I’m sorry, I don’t think it does.” Beca was always frustrated at the way she had trouble trying to explain herself sometimes. She always felt it took her twice as long to only say half of what she meant. Aubrey was always good at picking apart when she did (and didn’t) say, something Beca was eternally grateful for.

“No, no, that makes sense to me. I just never knew you felt that way.”

“I don’t anymore, but yeah, then we became friends and, well, I guess Stacie just saw something I didn’t figure out until years later?” A sniffle was the first indication that her girlfriend was tearing up. “Oh! Don’t cry!” Beca mentally runs through everything she’s said so far, trying to figure out what she said wrong. “I’m sorry!”

“Don’t apologize, I’m just being stupid.”

“It’s not stupid if it makes you sad, ‘Bree.”

“I’m a bad girlfriend.”

“No you’re not! You’re the best girlfriend I’ve ever had. Uhh, I mean you’re the only girlfriend I’ve ever had but even if I had others you’d still be the best. Not that I’d have any others, ‘cause you’re the best. So you’re the only girlfriend I’ll have? That sounded better in my mind.”

A few more sniffles can be heard before Aubrey elaborates, “Stacie knew you liked me.”

“Yeah?”

“But she didn’t know that I liked you.” Oh.

“Aubrey Elizabeth Posen.”

“That’s-, I don’t have a middle name, Beca, you know that.”

“Shh, I’m being stern. Aubrey, you know I know you love me, right?”

“Yes?” The confused tone is more due to Beca’s phrasing than the actual question itself.

“Then that’s all that matters. If we’re both sure about each other, I don’t care who knows I love you and who knows you love me. Besides, you’re perfect _just the way you are_ , remember? So no bad-mouthing my girlfriend.” She pauses to let the statement sink in before continuing, “But if you _really_ want Stacie to know who likes who…” The same offending hand from earlier travels up Aubrey’s shirt. The playful shove is worth the laughter that follows.

Beca lets Aubrey be the big spoon that night.

* * *

They’re both jolted awake by banging at the door. “What the fuck, what time is it?” Beca groans when she catches sight of the bedside LED clock which reads 4:18.

“Aubrey! Answer the door it’s an aca-emergency!” Chloe sounds genuinely distressed so she makes her way to answer the door before being pulled back onto the bed by Aubrey.

“’Bree, what are-“ Aubrey covers her mouth before Beca can finish speaking

“She doesn’t know you’re supposed to be here!” Oh. “Quick! Hide!”

Aubrey shoves Beca’s duffle bag under the bed (which is smart because she totally hadn’t thought about that) and she hides in the only place she can think of – the closet. The familiar click of the hotel door opening is followed by a number of rushed footsteps. She can’t see what’s going on, but Chloe is clearly not alone.

“Girls, what’s-“

“Beca’s missing!”

“What?”

“She wasn’t answering her door so I was worried she might have passed out and stopped breathing. I asked Emily to break into her room for me but it was empty! She’s been kidnapped, her stuff is gone and the bastard cleaned the room! He didn’t leave any evidence we could see behind, we have to find her!”

“How did you break into her room?”

“Lilly taught me how to pick locks after that time I accidentally trapped myself in the basement. The door scanners have a mechanical bypass.” Beca is simultaneously impressed and terrified by that fact. Out of all the Bellas she supposes that Emily is the most likely to use that knowledge for good though.

“That’s not the point! We have to-”

“What’s with all the noise guys?”

“Yeah, I’m always fabulous but you guys need your beauty sleep, no offense.” As more and more Bellas entered the room, she found it harder and harder to hold in the sneeze she could feel oncoming.

“Beca’s missing!”

“I’ll get my nun chucks.”

“Are you sure she didn’t just go for a midnight snack run or something?” Yes, Stacie, be the voice of reason!

“With all her things?”

"Well.."

“Have you tried calling her?” Oh God, she knows for sure that the phone she had left charging in the bathroom is not on silent.

“We can’t let her kidnapper know if she has her phone or not! Don’t call her, wait for her to contact us. We should call the police. _No_! What if he’s got a man on the inside. That’s how this usually goes right? Trust no one. Girls, we gotta come up with our own plan. Ideas? Aubrey you’re being too quiet right now, we need your input. Lilly can you hack into the hotel cameras?”

She’s not completely sure whether it’s the dust floating around the closet, the anxiety of not being able to make a sound, or the humiliation of literally being in the closet, but she’s unable to hold it in any longer. She suppresses the sneeze as best she can but it’s still audible. Freezing in terror, Beca prays that it had only just sounded louder to her because the sound had echoed within the closet instead of escaping it. Beca leans her ear against the wood, hearing nothing but silence on the other side.

The door is yanked open so violently that Beca falls face first onto the carpet. She refuses to turn around, hoping that the ground would just open up and swallow her whole.

“Wow, no pants _and_ trapped in a closet? Kinky, didn’t know you guys were into that but it checks out, lesbihonest.” That wasn’t fair, they hadn’t even done anything! Beca just felt more comfortable sleeping with no pants on, it was completely innocent! She was being framed here!

“Alright.” A loud clap got everyone’s attention, “Now that we’ve established that Beca is _not_ kidnapped-”

“Debatable.”

Aubrey ignored Amy’s interjection, “- we can all go back to our own rooms and sleep so that we’re well rested and prepared for tomorrow’s events.”

“If sleep is what you kids-”

“Now.”

Beca waits for the shuffle of footsteps to fade into the distance before she summons the courage to look up. Chloe is the only one remaining. Before turning to leave, she makes a v-shape with her fingers and gestures from her narrowed eyes to theirs, “You’re both on my pigeon list right now.”

She lets out the breath she’s been holding when the two of them are finally alone. “We’re never gonna live this down, are we?”

“At least we don’t need to work out how to tell them about us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that, kids, is why you don't keep secrets you don't have to. You end up in a closet with no pants on.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5: Alternate Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's laptop died halfway through writing their Day 4 entry yesterday. If there's more spelling mistakes than usual it's because I'm using an old laptop with different spacing between the keys. Hopefully my friend can fix my laptop or at least recover my files! Otherwise I'll try and rewrite my Day 4 story when Mitchsen week is over :(

Beca awoke feeling as if she’d been left inside a furnace overnight. Throwing the blanket off herself, it soon becomes apparent that the source of heat is coming from Aubrey herself. Her girlfriend’s body usually ran hotter (Beca’s cold feet had caused a few arguments) but the difference was never this bad.

Taking a closer look at the blonde’s sweating face, Beca realised that Aubrey probably had a fever. Cycling through her memories on what she was supposed to do in this situation, she’s stumped to realise that in the 8 years they’ve known each other, Beca has never once seen the other girl sick. Grabbing her trusty smartphone, Beca googles ‘fever what do’ and clicked on the first promising link.

‘Take paracetamol or ibuprofen in appropriate doses.’ What the hell was an ‘appropriate dose’? Hopefully that’s on the packet? ‘Drink plenty of fluids, particularly water.’ That made sense. Beca stopped halfway through filling a glass when she read the next point: ‘Avoid taking cold baths or showers. The cold may also cause shivering, which can generate more heat.’ Wait so was cold water bad because it’d make her hotter? But hot water would be worse. ‘Make sure you have plenty of rest, including bed rest.’ Was she supposed to wake up Aubrey to give her medication or would disturbing her sleep make it worse?

Beca is even more overwhelmed when she hears a long drawn out groan from the bedroom. Closing her browser, she opens the Bellas group chat and sends off an “SOS”, praying that someone got back to her quickly.

* * *

Aubrey wakes up alone in the shivering cold on a hard, wooden floor with her hands tied behind her back. Unable to see anything in the pitch-black darkness, she tries to recall how she got there but her mind comes up blank. As her eyes adjusted, she noticed a faint light coming from what she assumed was the crack of a door. Sliding across the floor as quietly as possible, she leans against the door, trying to hear what was happening outside.

“Relax, we lost them hours ago.” Her eyes widened, she hadn’t heard that voice in years but she knew immediately that it belonged to one Bumper Allen.

“Are you sure about that?” Was that Jesse Swanson?

“Look around you, man, there’s nothing but open ocean out here.” Ocean? Focusing harder on her surroundings, Aubrey could faintly feel the tell-tale rocking motion happening beneath her. Why was she on a ship?

“You’ve heard the rumours. One minute you’re watching the sunrise, the next minute _they_ appear and you’re saying hello to a watery grave.”

“That’s just an old ghost story. If you ask me, it’s a conspiracy and they’re trying to st-” Bumper is cut off by screams and Aubrey’s head starts to spin. Despite the fact that the floor is not one bit slippery, she still finds herself further and further away from the door – the ship was tilting! Before she could slam into the wall, her body slides to a stop and reverses direction. This time she does hit the door, and it’s with enough force that it swings wide open. She sees a glimpse of five or so former Treblemakers fall overboard before the ship begins to stabilise itself. The vessel corrects itself just in time for her to hit the guard rail but not roll over it. Aubrey let out a deep groan, she’s grateful to be alive but her body was beyond sore.

* * *

The girls had told her to not wake up Aubrey unless it looked like the fever was worsening. She had a glass of water and some medication ready to go on their bedside table. The laptop she had brought into the room so she could work and keep an eye on the girl lay forgotten on the floor next to the powerpoint. As Beca came back into the room with a fresh cloth to wipe away the sweat, she frowned when she found that in the short few minutes she had been gone, Aubrey had tossed and turned so much that she’d tied herself in a knot of blankets.

* * *

“Was that really necessary, Smith?” came a familiar voice that Aubrey couldn’t quite put her finger on.

“Sorry, Captain… I didn’t mean to _rock the boat_.” A chorus of masculine groans followed.

“Jones, how long do we have?”

“We should have at least two hours before the sea dogs get here.”

“That’ll be plenty. Alright guys, you know the drill: grab anything and everything of value and we’ll divvy it up later. Try and hide anything and _I WILL_ find out, I’m looking at you, Hobart.”

“One time…”

The grunting sounds of heavy lifting could be heard all around her as Aubrey debated her options. She could try to hide, but by the sounds of it these men were going to be searching the entire ship and she didn’t have anywhere to go. She struggled with her restraints, trying every trick her dad had taught her, but the ropes were simply too tight.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Whipping her head to the left, Aubrey comes face to face with a man who was the spitting image of Raymond, Stacie’s older brother. She almost thinks it’s him but the voice doesn’t match and his eyes are the same green shade as Stacie’s instead of brown. “Hey, Mitchell! Come look at this!”

“I swear, Conrad, if you’ve found another telescope I really don’t care.” When she catches sight of the man rounding the corner, she suddenly realises where she recognised the earlier voice from. Sometime after moving in together, Beca had installed some new recording software that came with a voice modulating function. The short man in front of her who could pass off as her girlfriend’s long-lost twin sounded just like the time Beca had tried to dramatically narrate Aubrey's attempt at cooking paella. Familiar stormy-blue eyes stare into her own and she somehow feels more exposed.

* * *

Aubrey had woken up briefly earlier but she didn’t exactly seem all there. Still, she managed to help the girl drink some water and change into a fresh set of clothes. Beca wasn’t sure what her girlfriend was looking at as she swallowed her medication, but Aubrey didn’t take her eyes off Beca for a single second the entire time. The blonde fell asleep again soon after.

* * *

She feels as if she’s fallen into some strange alternate universe where all the Bellas are men. They’re all dragging items from this ship to another one that had pulled up alongside the one she was currently standing on. This other ship with it’s blue and yellow sails was obnoxiously huge and she wonders how Bumper had been unable to see it. It seemed that throughout the multiverse the one constant must have been his incompetence.

“What do we do with her, captain? Shouldn’t she be swimming with the fish, right now?” Clearly none of them recognised her but that didn’t stop her from being offended by this baby-faced Emily-lookalike.

“The Bell doesn’t miss, Lee. I think she didn’t get thrown overboard for a reason.” She doesn’t understand what Mitchell is referring to, but she holds her tongue given they’re discussing her future here.

“It’d be cruel to just leave her here, though. Those sea dogs aren’t as noble as they like to pretend to be.”

“Weren’t you listening earlier?” smirked the captain.

“Huh?”

“We leave nothing of value behind. She’s coming with us.” There’s a few raised eyebrows but no one questioned it as he withdrew the cutlass strapped to his waist and sliced her ropes off in one fell swoop.

* * *

Beca isn’t sure what to cook. Probably something easy to digest such as soup? “No fish…” mumbles Aubrey as she turns on her side.

* * *

 “With a hii hii hoo and a hii hii hey! We're bound to be close to the sea!”

The loud unbridled enthusiasm everyone was singing with reminded Aubrey of her own Bellas. It was nostalgic enough to make her homesick (though the ill feeling in her stomach could also be seasickness).

“Our captain will stand on the bridge and sing! Pirates are all we can be!”

The way the other guys jostled their captain onto table to join in sent another pang in her stomach. Pushing her mostly uneaten food aside, she quietly left the mess and wandered aimlessly around the ship. Her own tiredness only sinks in when she accidentally stumbles into a bedroom. Aside from a locked chest at the foot of the bed, the room is bare and seemed unlived in. She runs her hands over the silk sheets before succumbing to her fatigue.

* * *

Beca breathed a sigh of relief when the reading on the thermometer showed a smaller number than it had last time.

* * *

She’s jolted awake by the click of a door. Taking a moment to remember where she was, she scrambles out of bed when it dawns on her.

“Sorry! I didn’t know this was your room!”

“It’s fine,” grunts Mitchell, “you can go back to sleep if you want.”

“No, no, this is your bed!”

“I don’t really use it, don’t worry.” Aubrey frowned disapprovingly.

“Even a captain needs to sleep. Your crew can do without you for a few hours.” He looked at her with a conflicted look in his eyes.

“I, uh, literally don’t sleep.” That didn’t make sense.

“Aca-scuse me?” He looked at her in confusion.

“Aca-what?”

She cleared her throat before correcting herself, “Excuse me? What do you mean you don’t sleep.”

An irritated feeling rises in her chest when he looks away, seemingly ignoring her question to look at the sunset outside. Before she could say anything, an ominous sounding bell rang in the distance. Her jaw dropped subconsciously when the body in front her faded into translucency.

“It turns out the dead don’t sleep.” Came the weak reply as he unconvincingly tried to smile.

Aubrey can’t stop the “How?” that escapes her lips but tries to take it back as soon as it does. “Sorry! That was so rude of me, ignore that.”

“It’s fine. I’ve had the time to do the whole five stages thing. I’ve just accepted it now.” He shrugged awkwardly before continuing. “We were heading back home when a huge storm hit. We couldn’t see where we were going and had no idea where we were. Next thing we knew, something hit us and water was filling the ship fast. You black out pretty fast when you run out of air. When we all came to, the ship was in perfect condition and we all seemed fine but it obviously didn’t stay that way for long. When the sun sets all our bodies do this ghost shit, and that fucking bell rings nonstop every time we get too close to shore.”

“Wait, if you’re ghosts how do you eat and drink?” She clearly remembered all of them actually partaking in the meal earlier that day.

“Yeah, I don’t really know how that works. This ghost thing didn’t come with a guide. We tried not eating once and that didn’t end well.” He made a face as if to say ‘never again’. “It’s probably the curse’s way of getting us to loot all the ships we ram, we have to get the food from somewhere.”

“Oh.”

“To be clear we don’t _purposefully_ run into other ships, they just kind of appear in our way. We’ve tried avoiding them but they just kept coming back and then the navy guys would show up and it’d be a clusterfuck to deal with. I don’t know if this makes me a bad person, or ghost, or whatever, but I stopped feeling guilty about it once I realised the sort of people we were running into.” He glanced down at the faded rope marks on her wrist before looking into her eyes. “You’re the first person to not be thrown overboard which probably says something about the type of person you are.”

“Thanks, I guess?”

He hummed before leaning back, something that looked extremely disconcerting considering there wasn’t actually anything behind him. “So where are you from?”

She might have grown up in Virginia but California was her home. The thought gives her pause before she can vocalise it. She’d always just thought of herself as having grown up in Virginia, she’d never really called anywhere else home until-, until she moved in with Beca.

Misinterpreting her contemplation as discomfort, he tried to backtrack, “You don’t have to answer that. I was just thinking that there’d be someone worried about you somewhere and maybe we could drop you off near a port or something. I mean we obviously can’t go all the way to shore, but we could probably get as close as possibly and the coast guard could pick you up or something.”

“You’d do that?” Aubrey had been avoiding this train of thought for a while now, but considering she didn’t know how she gotten here in the first place, she was worried she wouldn’t actually be able to get home at all. Did California even exist as she knew it?

“Of course.”

“Why?”

He’s taken aback by the question and begins to rub the back of his neck, a nervous tic Beca would also often display, “This might sound a bit selfish, but you remind me of _her_.” Sensing an importance to that last word, she waited for him to continue. “There’s a girl… there was a girl waiting for me back at home. It was the whole reason the guys and I were even on this trip. It was a sort of last hurrah before I handed the reins over to Lee. We stopped by Camp Bay for me to pick up a ring. I was going to propose when we got back and hopefully settle down, you know? It was supposed to be a surprise so I never told her we were going. She must have thought I abandoned her.” She instantly regretted asking that question. “So if there’s anyone waiting for you back home, you should get back there quickly.”

* * *

Aubrey’s fever had calmed down considerably, but Beca’s elation was short lived when her girlfriend started crying in her sleep. Dr. Google had no meaningful advice on what she was supposed to do now. Crawling into the bed, she drew the girl in close (contagious period be damned!) and sang a quiet song under her breath.

* * *

Everyone on board is trying to hide their discomfort, but the way they gritted their teeth when they thought she wasn’t looking was a clear indication that they could hear the bell ringing. Unlike the sunset bell, Aubrey couldn’t hear this one. They’re still a fair way from shore but the approaching patrol boat was likely going to be her ticket home.

After giving her farewells, she turned toward the person who had set this plan in motion to begin with, “She must have known you loved her.” He physically took a step back, reeling from her statement. “I don’t usually speak for other people, and I won’t begin to pretend to know everything about her, but I doubt the thought of you abandoning her ever crossed her mind. She must have known otherwise.”

He stared at her in shock for what felt like eternity, before his eyes softened, “Thank you.”

Giving one last nod at the crew, Aubrey turned and dived straight into the ocean. It’s been a while since she’s visited a beach but she doesn’t remember the water ever being this warm. Instead of resurfacing as she would have expected, she feels herself being pulled deeper and deeper underwater. There’s no struggling though, it simply feels right. As her vision faded to black, she could vaguely make out the sound of a woman whispering, “Thank you.”

* * *

Aubrey wakes up in the arms of her girlfriend. The taste of salt drew her attention to the tears running down her face, quickly wiping them away, her vision clears enough for her to notice that Beca was crying in her sleep. Wondering what had the shorter girl so worried, she pulled the girl in closer, burying her face in her neck.

“’Bree?” came a groggy. “You okay?”

“Of course I’m okay, I’m home.”

They stay like that, eventually falling asleep together.

* * *

“With a hii hii hoo and a hii hii hey!”

She almost falls off the treadmill when the song blasting through her earbuds had started playing. The strange fever dream she had had last week suddenly made more sense. Damn Chicago and his pirate music. Glancing at the clock and deciding she’d spent an adequate amount of time at the gym, she quickly finished her post-workout stretches before showering and retrieving her phone from her locker. Opening the most recent message from Beca she frowned.

“Babe can u pick up honey on the way home, we’re out & im feeling kinda sick :(”

Aubrey leaves the local grocer with a jar of honey and some of Beca’s favourite tea. On her way back to the car she stops short at the jewellery shop she’d never taken notice of until now. Her eyes naturally gravitated towards the collection of rings in the corner. Aubrey’s always preferred necklaces and bracelets, preferring to keep her hands clear. She notes that the selection she was looking at were all definitely too flashy for Beca. It’s a thought she catches as soon as she has it, wondering where it even came from. She shakes her head, Chloe’s wedding planning must be getting to her. She had more important things to worry about right now, such as her sick girlfriend waiting back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The struggle of trying to make all your entries fit the same universe is real when one theme is post-pp3 which is canon and another theme is AU. Even though one of the problems with writing same-sex pairings is that gendered pronouns can refer to both parties and sentences get clunky sometimes, it felt so weird typing "he" instead of she". I really can't win.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6: Post-PP3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a short filler chapter, but I wanted to get something out for today. Technically this whole fic is post-pp3 :P

Touring with DJ Khaled is a whirlwind of activity. The back-to-back flights, constant jumping from one schedule to another and the ever-changing time zones were taking its toll on Beca’s body – and she wasn’t even headlining! A major contributor to the success of the tour was due to the way Khaled’s team worked like a well-oiled machine, everyone had to do their part if deadlines were going to be met.

The dedication all the staff showed to their jobs was a reflection of the way he in turn treated them, which was most likely the reason why he was able to notice that Beca wasn’t completely happy in her role opening the show. Don’t get her wrong, it was a _huge_ opportunity, but it wasn’t exactly what she wanted to be doing. She loved having the input she had lacked in her old job and performing with the Bellas was great and all, but performing alone on stage in front of a huge audience was overwhelming in an uncomfortable way. It cemented her original desire to take a less ostentatious part in the musical process – she wanted to be producer and not a performer.

When the tour comes to an end, Theo calls a meeting with her. She felt a lot more comfortable around him once he had cottoned on to the fact that she had zero interest in him romantically. “I’ll be honest with you here, Beca. You’ve got potential, everyone on the team can plainly see that. Khaled would have offered to sign you back when we were in Tokyo.” Her heart sinks at the past tense used in that sentence. They must have noticed she wasn’t feeling the last few shows. “You’ve got a real shot at breaking into the mainstream market, but you wouldn’t be happy long term, would you?”

She’s not sure where this conversation is going. Was she being fired? The contract she had signed to open for the tour had technically finished anyway so she wasn’t exactly hired anymore anyway. “Music is all I’ve ever wanted to do, but yeah, the whole touring artist thing really isn’t for me.”

“We thought so, that’s why the studio’s offering to take you on as a producer.”

“Are you serious?!”

“Completely. You’d be working closely with Carl until you get into the groove of things with us, obviously, and you’d have to move to LA, but the offer is on the table. Just give us the go ahead and Legal can start getting it in writing.”

“Oh dude, I definitely want in.”

* * *

For the first time in Aubrey’s life, she didn’t know what she wanted. Okay, that was a lie, but it was the first time she was willing to admit to it. She had graduated summa cum laude at Barden and everyone had expected her to move on and kick ass in law school. She received multiple offers for programs all over the country, Harvard included, but a semester was all she needed to know it wasn’t for her. She had been able to power through her pre-law undergraduate degree through sheer force of will, but it was an open secret that she had been more emotionally invested in the Bellas than her academics.

It was a series of coincidences that eventuated in her setting up the Lodge of the Fallen Leaves. Her parents had been confused but surprisingly supportive, offering to refer some of their business partners as clientele to get her started. It was a hit, word of mouth soon spread and she went from having to worry about not having enough turnaround to having to work out how she was going to fit in priority bookings.

She managed to busy herself in the flurry of constant responsibilities and she did get a kick out of helping the teams bond and collaborate effectively, but it didn’t mean the whole experience wasn’t incredibly lonely. They were able to deconstruct the rigid corporate hierarchies of their clients during their short stay within the program, but ironically they were never able to fully do the same themselves. There was always a sense of distance between Aubrey and her staff, and it didn’t help that most of them were only there temporarily – living in the woods wasn’t for everyone.

The success of the retreat meant a significant windfall when she eventually sold it prior to leaving for the USO tour. It’s more than enough money to use as a cushion as she made her next step in life, if only she knew what that would be.

She spends some time helping Chloe move back and get resettled in her hometown of Portland before drifting southwards through California. She’s waiting for her order in a small Los Angeles café when a growl of frustration catches her attention. Turning to her left, she sees what looks like a high school student with her head in her hands.  One look at the endless equations filling the notebook in front of her was enough indication to reveal the source of the tension.

Cocking her head to the side in thought, Aubrey eventually spots the mistake. Her calculus is a little rusty, but she had spent a considerable amount of time with her SAT tutor on this exact type of problem to remember the basic concepts. Deciding to put the student out of her misery, she walks over and gestures at the erroneous line. “That should be 45, not 50.”

The kid is momentarily taken aback by the interruption, but takes Aubrey’s word for it, resuming her calculations from that point onwards. The process she uses seems inefficient to Aubrey, but she eventually ends up with a number that looked more or less correct to the blonde. Flipping to the back of her textbook to confirm, the student breathes a sigh of relief when the numbers match.

“You’re a lifesaver, thanks!”

She offers a sympathetic nod, “No problem, they’ll get easier with practice.”

“Regular mochaccino for Aubrey!” She grabs her order and settles down at a table by the window. Pulling out her laptop, she starts scrolling through various social media websites. Aubrey tended to keep her life private and rarely posted, her accounts were mainly in place just to keep an eye on what her friends were doing and for people to get in touch with her. She’s halfway through replying to an email from Flo asking for her business opinion on something franchise related, when a shadow passes over her field of vision.

Looking up, she sees the student from earlier, clutching a thick mathematics textbook in both her hands. “Hey, umm, I know you’re probably super busy but if you don’t mind could I ask you a couple questions?”

Making sure her draft had saved properly, she moves her laptop to the side and offered an encouraging smile, “Of course, take a seat.” They work through a few examples together before it becomes clear to Aubrey what the problem is. “Don’t just try plugging in all the numbers to the first equation that looks like it might fit, take a step back and think about which concept matches the question.”

“What do you mean?” The student seems genuinely bewildered by the suggestion.

Aubrey quickly runs through all the equations on the formula sheet and matched them with the worked examples, explaining why each one should be used in that particular case.

“That… that makes so much more sense. Why don’t they teach it like that at school?”

It was Aubrey’s turn to be confused, it’s been almost a decade (yikes!) since she’d been in high school but she distinctly remembered going through the basics. It would have driven her mad otherwise, she was the type of person who liked to know why she was doing things. “How do they teach it at your school then?”

“Mr. Kingsley just handed us this sheet, did one or two examples in front of us, and then told us to do the practice questions. I think I’ve learnt more in the last half hour than I have all semester.”

* * *

Beca falls in love with the two-bedroom apartment as soon as she sets foot in the living room. It probably has something to do with the fact that the first five studio units she’d inspected felt (and smelt) like shoeboxes. On one hand it seemed a bit wasteful to rent out a place so large, but the proximity to her new workplace was very appealing. Beca figures that she could always just find a roommate further down the line, and between the lack of expenses and the money she’d made on tour, she could afford to live by herself in the meantime.

“Oh, this is nice.” She thinks she’s hallucinating when she hears a familiar voice in the next room. Her suspicions are confirmed when Aubrey Posen of all people walks into the bedroom with the real estate agent in tow.

“Beca? What are you doing here?”

“Looking at apartments to rent, I’d ask you the same question, but I think I might get the same answer. Since when were you living in LA?” Sensing the conversation was turning personal, the agent leaves them alone so he can go talk to the other prospective tenant he hears entering through the front door.

“I originally only planned to be a tourist in the area for a bit so I’ve been staying in an Airbnb a few blocks from here. I just got accepted into a teaching program so I’m looking for somewhere a bit more permanent.”

Thinking back to the way Aubrey would run Bellas rehearsals, Beca could easily visualise the older girl in a teaching role. “Oooh, I’ve never tried to picture you as a teacher before but I think that’d actually suit you.”

“You really think so?” Beca senses a hint of nervousness in the blonde’s tone.

“Yeah, dude, I mean you could probably do whatever you put your mind to, but I can totally see you as a teacher. Any school would be lucky to have you.”

“Thanks, Beca.” Aubrey is genuinely touched by the vote of confidence. “Chloe mentioned they’d offered you a permanent job now that Khaled’s tour is over, but I didn’t know it’d be in LA.”

“Mmm, I didn’t tell her it’d be here since there was a bit of talk of maybe having me work in the Bay Area instead. We only just agreed on the original plan to head here sometime last week. I don’t officially start working until next month so I’m just hoping to find a place and get my feet planted in the meantime.” A comfortable silence falls between them as they both admire the view out the window.

Aubrey sneaks a few glances out of the corner of her eye before summoning the courage to ask, “Is there any chance you love this apartment as much as I do?”


End file.
